Recent research has questioned how prepared college athletes are in higher ed academics.

The revelation by University of North Carolina (UNC) whistleblower Mary Willingham that some college athletes read at a grade school level has received much attention. Willingham was a learning specialist in the Academic Support Program for Student Athletes at UNC. After conducting research on the literacy levels of athletes, she discovered that of 183 athletes in revenue-generating sports admitted to UNC between 2004 and 2012, 8-10 percent were reading below a third-grade level, about 60 percent were reading between the fourth- and eighth-grade levels. She also discovered that a tutor had written a paper for a football player. UNC has disavowed her, discredited her research, refused to conduct further investigation and suspended her research. Willingham has also received death threats. Read more →